Somerville Teacher Indicted on Child Abuse Charges

WOBURN– Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced today that a Somerville teacher has been indicted in connection with an inappropriate relationship she had with a 13-year-old minor.

Alexandra Romanos, 41, of Stoneham, was indicted on charges of aggravated rape of a child (four counts), indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 by a mandated reporter (eight counts) and disseminating material harmful to a minor.

The defendant is scheduled for arraignment on August 13 at 9 am, in Woburn Superior Court, Room 430.

“We allege that this defendant manipulated an impressionable young teenager,” said District Attorney Ryan. “These allegations are made all the worse since this defendant was entrusted to care for children as a Somerville teacher. Quick action by school officials and the Somerville Police brought these allegations to light and moved the investigation forward.”

According to authorities, at the end of June, they became aware of allegations concerning an inappropriate relationship between the defendant, a teacher at the East Somerville Community School, and the minor. At that time, Somerville Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office began an investigation. Through that investigation, it was allegedly discovered that in late February the defendant had initiated a sexual relationship with the minor that occurred both on and off-school grounds.

On July 2, Somerville District Court Judge Neil Walker ordered the defendant to post $50,000 cash bail and be subject to the conditions that she have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family, no unsupervised contact with children under 16, stay away from the Somerville schools and remain under house arrest with GPS monitoring.

The defendant has been placed on administrative leave by the Community School.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Marisa Tagliareni of the District Attorney’s Child Protection Unit. The Victim Witness Advocate is Rebecca Auld. The Child Interview Specialist is Alicia Compitello.